Just Give Him Time
by FaithInHim4ever
Summary: Katara finds Appa and brings him back home. But it's far from the happy reunion Aang invisioned it would be. Appa is hurt and Katara is the only one he'll trust. RR


DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the characters from Avatar. They belong to Nick. I do however own the nickname Sokka's uses for Katara as well as the nickname Katara uses for Toph.

May the light of God shine upon everyone and keep them safe

Lauren

"Just Give Him Time"

Katara walked around the streets of Bah Sing Sei, enjoying her time to herself. Toph and Sokka had gone to an earthbending competition and were planning to have dinner afterwards and Aang had decided to look for Appa again.

Katara was just taking a walk around the city, not knowing what she was going to find. Little did Katara know who or what she was going to find. And how it was going to change their lives.

Katara hummed a song as she walked along the streets. It had been a song that her mother had sung to her since before Katara could remember. She missed her mother terribly and sometimes the song would help her not feel so sad about her death.

As Katara passed a building, she felt a weird feeling creep over her. It was like something was telling her to go into side. For what reason Katara didn't know, but she trusted her heart, so she took the plunge.

As Katara walked inside, she felt the feeling grow. IT was like she was meant to be here.

"May I help you?" A man asked from just behind the counter.

Katara whirled around from where she had been looking at a water tribe bracelet and nodded.

"Yes. Can you tell me how much this is?"

The man nodded and came over to the display. He smiled at Katara as he made a price check on the item.

"That will be ten gold pieces please." He said, holding his hand out for the money.

"Would you take water tribe money?" Katara asked, digging into her pocket. "That's all I have."

The man thought for a moment and then nodded.

"Certainly."

Katara grinned as she produced the right amount of coins and gave them to the merchant. She had been earning extra money for the past month, teaching young girls waterbending. She had kept her job a secret from the others. Only Toph knew about it and she had promised Katara she would keep it a secret.

"Thank you," Katara said as she took the bracelet off the display and put it on.

"You're quite welcome." The man replied. "I'm always happy to do business with the locals of this fine city."

Katara nodded and was about to browse another section when she heard movement coming from the backroom. It sounded like something was trying to get out and it sounded desperate. Katara held her breath and waited until the man had went into the storage room before making her move. She ran into the backroom and ducked into a small crack in the wall. It seemed to be a trapped door of some kind. As Katara got herself situated, she heard a sound that she had heard before. It was familiar and Katara had to cover her mouth to keep from letting out a gasp of realization. But as Katara listened harder, she heard another sound that made her heart grow cold and her blood boil with anger. It sounded like someone whipping something. And as Katara continued to listen, she heard the familiar sound again, only this time, it was more of a distress roar.

Katara couldn't take it anymore, she made her way down to where she had heard the first groan and found herself in a room full of windows and cages. She ducked behind a door and waited for the man to leave.

"That'll teach you to disobey me!" The man snarled, holding a whip in his hand. "You do as you're told and that's that!" With that, he whipped the animal again.

It took all of Katara's inner strength, not to reveal herself and rescue her friend, but she forced herself to wait.

As Katara stood there, she surveyed her surroundings. The room was dark with only a few candles to light it. The only other light was provided by the windows that were high in the ceiling. This was so they can't escape, Katara guessed as she watched the man move onto another animal and repeat the same process.

Finally, five minutes later, the man left. It was only when Katara heard the door close and lock, did she dare make a move to rescue Appa.

As Katara emerged from her hiding place, all the animals started to make noise at once, excited to see someone new.

"SHH!" Katara hushed, putting a finger to her lips. She then scanned the room in search of Appa. The room was pretty dark, except for the light coming in through the ceiling.

Katara gasped when her oceanic orbs landed on the byson. He looked bruised and there were several cuts covering his body. His fur had turned from a pure white to a slightly brownish color. Katara guessed it was probably from all the blood and mud that was caked into his coat.

As Katara studied Appa, she could see that he wasn't muzzled anymore, but there was a bruise on his left ear as well.

"Appa!" Katara said, making a bee line for him. "I can't believe I found you! Aang's going to be so happy to see you. He was going crazy with worry. We all missed you. I missed you so much boy." Katara's smile faded when she saw the extent of Appa's injuries. There was hardly a place on his body where he wasn't hurt and Katara had to be careful when she touched him. He flinched at first and tried to move away, but Katara managed to soothe him.

"Appa, it's okay. You're all right. It's Katara. I'm not going to hurt you, buddy. I would never hurt you. I promise you that. I'm going to get you out of here and back home where you belong. It's okay, sweetheart. You're such a brave and sweet boy." Katara reached her hand out and was surprised when Appa allowed her to pet his left shoulder blade. Katara was glad to see that hadn't been damaged. At least now she could offer the scared byson some form of familiar comfort.

At Katara's touch, Appa calmed and even let out a soft groan of contentment. He even went as far as to lick her face, making her giggle.

"Aw, there you go. You're okay now. You like that, don't you? You missed that, huh? Ready to go home now, boy?"

Appa groaned in agreement and Katara had to shush him. The last thing she needed was to be caught now.

Taking a deep breath, Katara gingerly climbed onto Appa's saddle. Before she gave him the command, she tried to heal his injuries as best she could, so that he would at least be okay to fly.

Appa seemed to enjoy her attention and he only flinched when Katara hit an especially painful spot.

"I know, boy, I know it hurts." Katara soothed, trying to fight back tears. She hated seeing Appa like this and she hoped things would be better once she got him home. But little did Katara know that the road to recovery for Appa was far from over.

Appa calmed at the sound of Katara's voice and the gentleness of her touch. He was still in pain, but for some reason, he trusted Katara and knew that she wouldn't hurt him.

"All right boy. Thatta boy. Good boy. You're such a sweet boy, yes you are. And Katara loves you very much. Yes, I love you very much. I'm going to get you out of here." With that, Katara took the reins gently and shook them. "All right, Appa, yip yip!"

It took Appa a few minutes to get the hang of flying after being tied down for a month, but eventually he was able to take flight again. His speed had slowed down considerably and Katara guessed it was because of his injuries. She didn't push him to go any faster than he could and she was very patient with him. She could tell he was afraid and she just kept assuring him through touch and words that she would never hurt him.

It took them twenty minutes to get back to the house, and when they landed, Appa started to shake from fear.

"Hey hey, it's okay, Appa. It's all right. It's okay now. You're safe, boy. You're back home now. You're back with your family. You're going to be okay. I promise. It's okay, sweetheart. It's okay. Katara's right here. It's all right…" Katara started to rub Appa's left shoulder blade, hoping it would help him to calm down. It did the trick, but when Katara tried to feed him, he wouldn't take it. This got Katara worried and she wondered how long it would take before things were back to normal.

As Katara waited for the others to come back, she sat and talked to Appa. She petted him and made sure he knew he was safe and sound again. She managed to get him to eat something around two that afternoon. She was glad when it stayed down. She only left him for three minutes in order to get him some water. When she returned, Appa greeted her with a lick and calmed down the minute Katara started to pet him.

"Aw, there you go, boy. Fresh water. Go on. It's okay." Katara encouraged, hoping Appa would take a drink.

Appa sensed the gentleness in Katara's voice and responded to it immediately. He started to drink and didn't' stop for a full five minutes.

"Aw, you were thirsty, weren't you?" Katara asked, rubbing Appa's left shoulder blade softly. It was about the only place she could pet him without causing him any discomfort. Everywhere else was full of bruises and cuts.

Katara went to work again, healing Appa's injuries. She talked to him while she was doing her work and if she hit an especially painful spot, she would stop and ease her way through it, so that she wouldn't hurt Appa further.

The others returned an hour later and Katara left Appa to tell them what had happened. She found Sokka and Toph in the kitchen. Sokka was stuffing food into his mouth and Toph was doing the same, but not as piggishly.

"How was the tournament?" Katara asked, grimacing at the way Sokka was eating.

"It was fwun!" Toph said as she swallowed the last of her burrito. "I won after ten minutes! Those losers didn't' stand a chance!"

"Good for you!" Katara said, giving Toph a hug. "Congratulations, kiddo!"

"Thanks," Toph said, grabbing another burrito from the bag on the table.

"What did you do all day, Tara?" Sokka asked, popping a grape into his mouth.

Katara gave Sokka a Look before answering his question.

"Well I made an interesting discovery." She said, trying to get them wanting to know more.

"What did you find?" Toph asked, immediately interested in what her older sister had to say.

"It's not a what," Katara corrected her. "It's a who."

Sokka's eyes widened in realization.

"You found Appa?"

Katara nodded.

"Way to go, Tara! Aang's gonna freak when he finds out!"

Katara nodded, but she had a frown on her face.

"What's wrong with you?" Sokka asked, still smiling. "If you found Appa, Aang's going to be happy. Don't you think he's going to be happy?"

Katara nodded.

"I do, but Appa's not himself."

"What do you mean?" Sokka asked, not understanding where his sister was going with this.

Katara sighed.

"He's scared. I mean really scared. He wont' respond to anyone but me. He's hurt really badly as well. I healed him as best I could, but he still looks pretty bad."

Sokka frowned and shook his head.

"Do you think he'll be okay?"

"I don't know. I hope so."

Just then, Aang came in. He was frowning while munching on an apple.

"Any luck?" Katara asked, not wanting to spoil her news just yet.

Aang shook his head and sighed.

"No. I couldn't' find him."

Katara nodded and gave Aang a sympathetic pat on his shoulder.

"It's okay. Listen, Aang, come outside. I have a surprise for you."

"You do?" Aang asked, giving Katara a confused look. "What is it?"

"Come outside and you'll find out. Trust me when I say, you'll like it." Katara insisted, a small smile spreading across her face.

Aang glanced at Sokka, who just shook his head.

"Okay." Aang finally relented and followed his girlfriend outside.

When they reached the spot where Appa was, Aang's jaw about hit the ground! When he recovered, his face broke into a grin that spread from ear to ear.

"Appa!" Aang cried happily. He raced to hug him, but Katara held him back.

"Aang, wait! There's something you need to know."

"Katara, you found him!" Aang exclaimed, throwing his arms around his girlfriend. "You found him! How did you do it? How? Where? When?"

Katara gave Aang a hug, but then turned serious as she pulled away.

"I found him in an abandoned building, underneath of a store. But there's something you need to know. You need to go slow with him. He's not himself."

Aang's smile changed to a frown as he took in Appa's appearance more closely. The bison's white fur was caked in blood and mud and his eyes kept wandering as if he was afraid of being attacked.

"What happened to him!" Aang shouted, his tone one of anger and desperation.

Katara sighed as she put an arm around Aang.

"Aang, it's going to be okay. Appa just needs time. He's been hurt really badly and he just needs time to heal. You need to take it slow around him and you can't make any sudden movements."

Aang nodded, although he was really upset. He was more disappointed than anything else, but he was also very angry. He was angry that Appa had been hurt and he was also angry that Appa was now afraid of the people who truly loved him.

Aang's face was full of resolution. He made his way over to Appa, determined to get Appa to trust him. He reached out to pet him and was surprised when Appa made a warning sound and growled at him.

"Appa, it's okay," Aang tried. "I'm not going to hurt you. I missed you buddy. It's all right." He tried again, but Appa reacted the same way.

"Aang, wait." Katara said, making her way over to them. "Stop for a second."

Aang gave her a look before putting his hand down.

Katara approached Appa slowly and put her hand on his left shoulder blade. She started rubbing it and Appa calmed almost immediately. HE still had his eyes fixed on Aang in a warning stare, but at least he wasn't growling anymore.

"There you go. It's okay." Katara soothed, continuing to stroke Appa's fur. "It's okay, Appa. It's all right. Aang's not going to hurt you. And neither am I. We both love you, sweetie. We want you to get better."

Appa groaned softly as Katara continued to pet him.

Aang looked away, feeling anger towards Katara, but more towards Appa. He was also feeling confused. Why would Appa trust Katara over him? He and Appa had been friends longer and yet Appa trusted Katara first.

Just then, Aang decided to try again. He figured if Katara was there, Appa would be okay. But as Aang drew closer, Appa let out a warning growl followed by a growl that signaled for Aang to back off.

"Appa!" Katara scolded, making sure her voice was stern, but also full of love. "Appa, it's okay. It's okay. Hey now. Hey, it's okay. It's all right. None of that. Aang's not going to hurt you. I promise. It's okay, boy. It's all right. It's okay…" Katara continued to talk to Appa in a gentle tone and he slowly calmed down. He still looked wary of Aang, but at least he had stopped growling at him.

"I don't get it," Aang said, sitting down next to Katara. "I don't understand why he trusts you and not me. What do you have that I don't' have! What makes you so special!" Aang shouted this last part, making Appa look even more nervous, if that was possible.

"Aang, stop it!" Katara said, her voice stern. "You're scaring Appa." She then turned to the byson, who had let out a warning growl and started to calm him down. "Appa, it's okay. It's all right. Aang didn't mean to do that. He's not going to hurt you. It's all right. It's okay…" Katara continued to soothe Appa until he was calm again.

After Appa was settled, Katara turned her attention to Aang. She glared at him before saying a word. She moved away from Appa so that she wouldn't' scare him if she ended up yelling at Aang.

"Why does he trust you more than he trusts me?" Aang asked, his voice less loud, but the pain was evident. "I don't get it."

"I don't know," Katara said, trying to keep her voice level and calm. "I don't have the answer for you, Aang. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if Appa trust me right now and feels comfortable with me. I can't help it. I love him. I want him to get better. He's scared right now and he needs all of our support. And if you really love him, you'll give him time to heal. Don't rush him and he'll be more apt to respond to you soon."

Aang thought about this for a moment before glaring at Katara and leaving her behind. He didn't want to say something else that he would regret and he also didn't want to hurt her feelings again. All Aang wanted was his best friend back and he hated waiting. He had thought that once they had found Appa, the byson would be happy to see him, but it hadn't been like that at all.

Once Aang was gone, Katara went back over to Appa and started stroking his fur again. She knew he liked when she gave him attention and right now, he needed all of the attention and love he could get. It was the only way he would feel better.

"It's okay, Appa. It's going to be okay. We're all here for you. We all love you, boy. And we want you to get better. Aang loves you too. I know you're scared right now and I promise you, nobody is going to hurt you here. You're safe now. You're back with your family. We love you, sweetheart. You're such a sweet boy, yes you are. I love you and I missed you so much. I was worried about you too. Aang's going to be okay. He just needs time. It's going to be okay, buddy. It's going to be okay." With that, Katara continued to stroke Appa gently until she heard him let out a contented groan and saw his eyes close.

Katara stayed there until she was sure Appa was going to be okay before she headed inside for the night. It had been a long day and Katara needed her rest. She knew it was going to take awhile, but Katara also knew that Appa was strong. And with the right amount of patience, love and care, Appa would be just fine. All he needed was time.

THE END


End file.
